marketing de productos e innovaciones de alta tecnología
TRANSCRIPT
Essentials for Successful Marketing of Technology Businesses
22° Encuentro GeneXus. Montevideo, Uruguay
Professor Jakki J. Mohr, Ph.D. Regents Professor of Marketing
University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA Universidad ORT Uruguay
Barriers to Successful Marketing in Technology Companies
• “Our technology is so new, we have no competitors.”
• “Our technology is so good, it will sell itself.”
• “Our customers just don’t understand.”
Other Common Problems
• No resources for marketing
• No personnel trained to do marketing
• Aversion to marketing:
– “Fluff and bluff”
– Money spent on logos, ads, brochures is wasteful.
Reason: Lack of Clarity
• What is marketing
• The impact of marketing on company success
• Difficulty in getting data to make marketing decisions
Marketing is…
• Strategic decision making: – Which customers should we focus on? – What is our value proposition?
• Functional planning: – Product features; price; go-to-market strategy – Relationship between engineers and managers
(marketing, sales, business)
• Tactical: – Which trade shows, Website design, which journals
The Impact of Marketing on Success of Technology Companies
Great Technology?
Technological superiority alone does not yield success.
Great Marketing?
Great marketing can help even “good enough” technology win.
Great marketing can beat great technology.
Success requires great technology combined with great marketing.
Standard Marketing Tools
1
2
3
4
Strategic planning
Segmentation and value proposition
Understanding customers and competitors
Creating awareness
These Tools are Di"cult to Apply in Technology Businesses
• Technology companies are managed differently than other types of companies
• Customers experience greater uncertainty in
their product choices • Technology industries operate differently
than other industries
– Who manages?
– Core competencies? • Marketing competencies?
• “Core rigidities?
– Customer orientation?
Managing Technology Companies
Engineers Manage Tech Companies
• What do they say about marketing? – Marketing:
• what you do when your products aren’t selling.
– Marketing Research: • when marketing goes down
to engineering to see what they’re working on.
• Even the people who do marketing are often engineers!
How do engineers think?
• Good products = sophisticated
• If I had more time to work on this product, I could add more cool features;
It would be Brilliant!
• What happens with time? – delays to market =
– customer needs change;
– competitors come in;
– window of opportunity is lost.
• Switching costs • Fear, uncertainty, doubt
– Ease of use
– Feature Fatigue – Industry standards and compatibility
• Costs of obsolescence • Unintended consequences • Leap frogging • “Wait and see” =
kiss of death for tech company
Customer Purchase Decisions: Complex and Uncertain
“The Chasm”
Enthusiast
Visionary
High Risk/High
Reward
Conserva-tive
Pragmatic
Proven Results
Laggard/Skeptic
{ { { { { The Chasm
Main Street
The Tornado
The Bowling Alley
Goal: Cross the Chasm
• Pick a single target market with specific application: The beachhead/bowling alley model • Define market segments narrowly
• Build the “whole product” – (end-to-end solution)
Unique Considerations in Technology Industries
• “Network effects” – Customer value depends upon how many
other customers also use the product.
– Value = f (communication & connectivity)
• Ecosystems (“Platform Competition”)
Self-Reinforcing Nature of Industry Standards
Establish Industry
Standards
Raise compatibility of
products for customers
Lower fear, uncertainty and doubt
Increase likelihood of addoption
Increase number of users
Increase incentive for developers of complementary
Increased value to each user
Due to indirect network effects
Due to direct network effects
Essentials for Success in Technology Companies?
• Develop marketing competencies
• Develop customer orientation
• Understand ecosystem dynamics
octubre 4, 2012
“Be as knowledgeable about your customers’ businesses as you are about your own” “When defining your B2B customers, also define their customers; you must identify the need your customers must fulfill for their own buyers.”
Best practices high-tech marketing
• The Google model: – 7 rules of innovation – Beta (learn, fail, learn)
The Apple Model
– Innovation + Marketing – Design and customer experience – Focus on premium market position (choice of
target market, product, price)
A Few More…
• The Intel model: – Branding, OEMs, distribution,
customer research
• The Cisco model: – Customer value, industry trends,
distribution partners
• IBM – “I’m By Myself” – Reinvent as services business
• GE: – Sustainability